Daimler will invest some 10 billion euros in electromobility to electrify the entire portfolio of Mercedes-Benz and introduce more than 50 electrified vehicle variants by 2022 (including more than 10 BEVs).

Mercedes-Benz EQA Concept

The German company is preparing a total of six plants on three continents (five for the next-generation EQ models and the sixth is the Hambach factory in France where the smart ED is produced). The EQ assembly plants will be:

Bremen (Germany) – EQC from 2019

Sindelfingen (Germany) – EQ upper and luxury class

Rastatt (Germany) – EQA compact

Tuscaloosa (U.S.) – EQ SUV

Beijing (China) – EQC, soon after Bremen

Daimler is keeping its battery pack assembly process in-house too. Soon there will be five battery packs production plants (each ready for export if needed):

Kamenz (on-line)

Kamenz 2 (soon to be ready)

Beijing (China)

Tuscaloosa (U.S.)

Untertürkheim (Germany)

Mercedes-Benz EQ Concept

The first model is to be EQC all-electric SUV in 2019 made in Bremen and at BBAC in Beijing.

In 2017, Mercedes-Benz Cars set important strategic course for electromobility:

Electric hubs for the production of electric vehicles and batteries are currently being built around the globe.

By 2022, Daimler will electrify the entire portfolio of Mercedes-Benz, offering customers at least one electrified alternative in all Mercedes-model series. The company is planning to offer more than 50 electrified vehicle variants. To that, Mercedes-Benz will be continuously supporting the development of plug-in hybrids and the introduction of 48-volt-systems. More than ten models of the over 50 electrified vehicles will be fully electric cars – in all segments, from smart to large SUVs.

Over the next few years, Mercedes-Benz Cars will be investing ten billion euros in the expansion of its electrical fleet and an additional one billion euros in a global battery production network within the worldwide production network. That way a global battery network is created, which currently comprises five battery factories on three continents.

While the start of production of the fortwo Coupé and Cabriolet at the smart plant in Hambach in 2017 already represent the start of the fourth generation of electric vehicles of the brand, the first electric vehicle of the new product and technology brand EQ will roll off the production line at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen. Production of the EQC, an all-electric SUV, will start in 2019.

Shortly afterwards, the EQC will also roll off the production line at BBAC, Daimler’s joint venture with BAIC. Further locations for EQ models are the

Mercedes-Benz plants in Rastatt, Sindelfingen and Tuscaloosa (USA), where the model range is extended to include electric vehicles of the compact, upper and luxury class as well as the SUV segment.

Daimler subsidiary ACCUMOTIVE – second battery factory in Kamenz – fourfold increase of production and logistics area up to around 80,000 m2;

Markus Schäfer, Member of the Divisional Board of Mercedes-Benz Cars, Production and Supply Chain said:

“Our electric vehicles will be built in six plants on three continents. We address every market segment: from the smart fortwo seater, to the large SUV. The battery is the key component of e-mobility. As batteries are the heart of our electric vehicles we put a great emphasis on building them in our own factories. With our global battery network we are in an excellent position: As we are close to our vehicle plants we can ensure the optimal supply of production. In case of a short-term high demand in another part of the world our battery factories are also well prepared for export. The electric initiative of Mercedes-Benz Cars is right on track. Our global production network is ready for e-mobility. We are electrifying the future”.

It is indeed impressive, when actual OEMs that actually know how to build vehicles, actually build vehicles, for the benefit of the people.

Now if only there could be more renewables, more walkable/bikeable/livable communities with better public transportation like bus and rail, and less motorized private transport, and then the people could really benefit.

When it comes to Telsa, with everything they do, it is great to see what Mercedes and Daimler enabled them to do, as without Mercedes and Daimler, there would be no Tesla. Google “Elon Musk: Daimler Saved Tesla”.

Mercedes has NO electric car to sell. The only one is not anymore available (classe A ED). And the only EV from a Mercedes division is the Smart witch is not pushed to be sold, and BTW the Smart is based on a Renault car (Twingo) so Mercedes made no R&D, ie zero investment, just rebadging.

The only real R&D in a electric car worth something is the battery. Besides that Electric cars are so technically unchallenging that every other ill funded start up with mom taking up the investors phone calls right from her kitchen comes with an electric car prototype. MB could likely make a very decent electric car prototype with 0.001% of their engineering capacities.

No, the electric car issues are the same for the while industry 1/profitability, fast 2/ charging infrastructure 3/securing long term supply contracts with the right battery cell makers. Also the German car makers built their reputation by making cars that could go fast for a long time, now they are required to build the exact opposite of that, not easy for them.

I think you’re giving him too much credit. I don’t think he’s lying; I think he really is that ignorant about EV engineering. If he knew more about the subject, I don’t think he would make statements which are so exceptionally ignorant that even superlatives fail.

I must fall back on paraphrasing Professor Challenger (from The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle), and say that he enlarges our view of the possible! He pushes past what was believed to be the limits of ignorance, into previously unexplored territory.

If you think that in an electric car only the battery matters you are 200% ignorant on the subject. The fact that a ICE car is more complex due to archaic technology does not make it superior. What would be “challenging” for ICE car makers would be a produce a zero emission ICE car, good luck…

And please tell your boss to stop experimenting on monkeys, we need no more studies to know how dangerous are your cars.

“The only real R&D in a electric car worth something is the battery…. MB could likely make a very decent electric car prototype with 0.001% of their engineering capacities.”

WOW, another galactically clueless post from “Another Euro” FUDster about EV engineering! We can make matching bookends with this and his assertion that you can use an elevator’s electric motor to build an EV.

Come on Pu&pu, if you are going to hang out in EV forums as a hobby you need to do it well otherwise what will you be able to say for yourself 10 years from now ?

So I suggest that instead of using your usual “fudster, hater” primary school vocabulary you deliver some grown up stuff like, technical knowledge to share with us for best interest of all of us.

I shoot first, here a text from Hitachi from not long ago I found about e-motors and inverters current research :

“Prompted by concerns about reducing the burden on the environment, it is anticipated that, in addition to the expected further
improvements in efficiency, the future will also see further research into motor structure aimed at reducing material usage through smaller motor sizes and making available materials that do not include
scarce resources(9). With use of electric motors and inverters becoming standard practice, it is also anticipated that motors, inverters, and motor control
will become integrated in both a structural and design sense”

So you see pu&pu, the problem with those electric motors & inverters is that (unless you think Tesla invented them…) they were extensively used for very demanding applications for about the last 170 years+. As you know electric motors were/are very efficient since a very long time and decreasing the weight of them (as suggested by current R&D) by a few lbs will not really matter anyway when used in a 3000 lbs BEV. Neither will a 0.5% efficiency gain matter very much when many other factors also affects a BEV efficiency. So there we are with small insignificant incremental improvements on a technology that is already 180 years old and did not wait for recent EVs development to already amazingly efficient. On the contrary, there is amazing room for improvement on battery technology.

Does this inspires you our would you rather keep it at your usual “fudster, hater” level to make it fit nice and cosy within the average internet background ?

Take a trip to Arjeplog in Sweden, and check out the EVs that’s doing the final ajustments.

We’re at a real turningpoint in the global EV market.

I saw the new new I-Pace,and learned some new things too. Can not comment what, but wait to March 1.

I saw 7 EVs doing testing there. 2 from VW, 2 from Mercedes, 1 from Audi and 3 I did not recognize. I think one was from a Korean brand, and one might be a Skoda (or something that looks like one), and I have no idea what the last one was.
I saw a Land Rover or a Range Rover (or something that looked a lot like it) there too, and it may be an EV or a PHEV. It was not driving, just parked, almost covered in snow.

The green shift is on it’s way. It’s not a question of it, but when the different parts start.

If I have the time, I’ll translate a small 60 page document, that explains in detail what those changes are, where and when they was/will be implemented, and what the pros/cons are.
It is the short version, but gives a lot of information in regards to the grid, storage solutions, cost estimates, time for infrastructure design, construction, prices, locations and so on. The locations of charging stations, infrastructure notifications from different suppliers, their capabilities and so on.
There are a lot of information about where they need manpower, what kind of people they need (education), are there enough people with the right education and so on. 6 years ago, they started to educate more people for these jobs. It is an ongoing education.
There is a lot of information regarding the environment, who it will affect sale of fuel, how gas stations can convert to more EV charging, and how ultrafast chargers will be important to keep up profit, and how services will have to add the rest.
There is information on the possibility of a large European battery factory, raw material processing, and some data from scientists that use button cell form factor to test thousands of chemial combinations, and then torture test them to see what can be made, at certain prices.
There is information about how reduced maintenance cost will affect the society, as jobs will be lost. There are talk abouta short reeducation from car mechanics to wind generator maintenace.
There is detailed information about car parts suppliers, and how they have changed focus from one or two normal car products – and how they focus on pure EV parts.
The document can probably be downloaded in English too, for all I know. It’s made by the EU, and is all about Europe – and all the changes regarding the green shift.
It is a short version of a 1600 page document.
It explains how big the changes will be, and explains why things take time, and the massive infrastructure costs, and potential job loss that might come from it. It explains what kind of new jobs that will follow, and how existing companies can use their production equipment to also make other products.
There is a lof of information regarding recycling of EVs and batteries. EV batteries are not recycled right now – the way people thinks. To be able to harvest and reuse the expensive parts of the battery will cost a lot, and companies are working on it. In the mean time, all the manufacturers have been adviced to find a use for the batteries after the car has done it’s job. By the time they’re garbage – the recycling system should be ready. The EU has a strong no landfill policy, and all materials that can be recycled should be, and the rest should be burned to get energy.

From article: “Daimler will invest some 10 billion euros… to electrify… more than 50 electrified vehicle variants by 2022 (including more than 10 BEVs).”
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Hopefully the BEVs are compelling offers including having access to a convenient and reliable supercharging network for those occasional long distance trips.

Less than 1/4 of the Mercedes electrification focus & investment is being directed to Mercedes BEV… which continues to make BEV a niche category within Mercedes.

I wonder how much of the 10B euros will be directed towards HFC? …because it seems Mercedes believes BEV is at best only a bridge-gap towards HFC.

My concern is that Mercedes puts out a bunch of marginal EVs and continue to be greatly distracted by HFC. Perhaps they would be better served spending that 20B focusing on getting into production 2 or 3 super great Mercedes BEVs then later expand from that… so that Mercedes can get even with or ahead of Tesla EV wise before it’s too late for Mercedes to catch up.

No one can deny that German automakers are experts at building ICE’s. They are also very good at lying and cheating, as shown by the VW scandal. They will continue to choke you with their obnoxious fumes as long as you keep on buying the line that their next EV is just around the corner, and Mercedes is about the worse, all to make a buck. Thank you Tesla for making them squirm. With luck, they won’t be around long.

As Tesla is only at about 100,000 Model S + Model X, it will be interesting, if all the attention they are getting for the Model 3, draws in more Growth fo the S & X, to the point they each Exceed 100,000 cars while the ramp the 3 up to 500,000 cars per year!

Hmmm, well we can certainly expect media attention to the Model 3, and word of mouth advertising plus social media buzz, to generate more demand for the Models S & X — in fact, Tesla has already said this is (or at least was) happening — but doubling last year’s annual sales of those models seems quite unlikely to me.

Unless they have increased throughput, the Model S and X lines have a combined capacity of around 110,000 vehicles. Any increased demand for those cars would just end up as lines since they have largely been running at capacity.

Good, as long as Mercedes (and other future promisers) continue to perpetually project 3-5 years into the future then they can get credit for being pro-EV without really having to ever actually go EV..

They will not make the cells there, they will design, and produce the battery with all that is needed.

They can for examples buy the “cells”, or the cell materials in large rolls, like TP for examples. Then they fold the cell material, and insert it in pouches or prismatic chambers, add connectors, electrolyte and so on..

Cells or cell rolls will be bought from others to begin with at least. There are major talks about a joint venture in Europe to make a massive battery cell company.

To make the battery, and not the cells has some advantages, as they can source the best cells from the companies that make them – without investing in a certain cell technology and the rest that is needed to make cells.
At the same time, they pay a premium for the cells (the manufacturer have to make money too), and they can not control supply and demand they way they can by owning the production of their own.

There is not much to say. With the diesel cloud hanging out there and the derision given to EVs but Daimler to date, it is hard to tell if this really is a change of pace or just PR to distract attention. Releasing A class EVs when the technology isn’t yet fully competitive in that space tends to support the idea this is just PR.

China and the US ZEV states are both ramping up their ZEV credit requirements the EU has tightened economy ratings coming in 2021.

For example, US ZEV state credit requirements increase each year by 2.5%, from 4.5% in 2018 up to 22% in 2025. _And_ of each increase 2% must be ZEV. At max 4 credits for a long-range BEV, that’s equivalent to an increase of 0.5% of sales being BEV each year.

Given China’s large market and recent confirmation of their credit-based system that works like the CARB ZEV system*, the required ramp of sales means that manufacturers now _have_ to invest or it’ll end up costing them in credits or large rebates on crappy plug-ins.

* Don’t be fooled by the higher percentage in China. It’s face. They allow up to 5 credits per BEV.